Rapallo | Altair G2.1 Digital Audio Streamer

ManualsBrandsAURALiC ManualsAudioAltair G2.1 Digital Audio Streamer

AURALiC ALTAIR G2.1

streaming DAC preamplifier

Jason Kennedy

t the 2022 Axpona show in Chicago

(see pp11–18) AURALiC demonstrated

its streaming electronics via ATC

loudspeakers in two rooms, which is

a  ne pairing but not one you see over

here too often. But you can see why a

company that doesn’t make ampli ers

might like an active loudspeaker specialist; it reduces the

box count. Also, ATCs are excellent speakers with a similar

approach to voicing, which is essentially highly neutral

with minimal tweaking for added sweetness. That said, the

AURALiC units allow the end-user to equalise the sound

to suit the system and the room, so they aren’t exactly

‘hairshirt’. Given the potential for tweaking embedded

in virtually all digital audio chips these days there aren’t

many streamers that could be called hairshirt, it’s just not

something the modern audiophile aspires to, he or she want

everything all the time and in the ALTAIR, AURALiC makes a

good  st of giving it to them.

The ALTAIR G2.1 is AURALiC’s top all-in-one design. It

combines a streamer, DAC and preampli er in one solidly

EQUIPMENT REVIEW

built unit that has the same Unity Chassis II found elsewhere

in the G2.1 series. There’s also an ALTAIR G1 in the range

and the main difference is in the chassis which looks similar

but is a far more simple affair. G2.1 is constructed as a box

within a box, the inner one being made of copper because

this material shields the electronics from electro magnetic

interference (EMI) far more effectively than aluminium. This

is something you  nd in Japanese valve electronics where

it’s often on show but it’s rare to see so much copper

casework used in digital equipment, despite the critical role

that good shielding plays. The aim with good quality digital

is keeping electrical noise to a minimum regardless of how

that noise is getting into the circuitry and given that EMI

is a well-known source it’s perhaps surprising that more

manufacturers don’t go for this approach.

Spring in the step

The casework that you do see is in machined aluminium

with a very high quality of  t and  nish that sits on feet that

are designed to keep vibration in the supporting surface at

arm’s (foot’s?) length. These feet conceal no fewer than six

Reproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 208 hifiplus.com

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
EQUIPMENT REVIEW AURALiC ALTAIR G2.1 streaming DAC preamplifier Jason Kennedy A t the 2022 Axpona show in Chicago (see pp11–18) AURALiC demonstrated its streaming electronics via ATC loudspeakers in two rooms, which is a fine pairing but not one you see over here too often. But you can see why a company that doesn’t make amplifiers might like an active loudspeaker specialist; it reduces the box count.
PAGE 2
EQUIPMENT REVIEW AURALiC ALTAIR G2.1 That app being AURALiC’s Lightning DS, which is still limited to iOS but remains one of the best looking in the business. springs within them, three of one size and three of another; the idea being that the combination serves to keep out a broader range of vibration frequencies. The ALTAIR G2.
PAGE 3
EQUIPMENT REVIEW AURALiC ALTAIR G2.1 One thing I noticed about this streamer was how well it worked when I wasn’t paying attention. that it doesn’t emit any electrical noise into the system. You can change volume with the front panel knob or by remote control, the catch is that AURALiC don’t supply the handset. Instead you can program the ALTAIR to accept a wide range of commands using the smart IR learning system that’s accessed via the display.
PAGE 4
EQUIPMENT REVIEW AURALiC ALTAIR G2.1 USB had the advantage in timing, image scale and smoothness of delivery, however, so it’s safe to say the ALTAIR is a very capable DAC. following ‘About a Boy’ that really grabs you. This bristles with restrained ferocity, the band does at least, the guitar and drums sound as if they are barely contained thanks to the dynamics on offer from the AURALiC.